Macross Frontier: 24 Minutes
by MisatoKitty
Summary: It's an ordinary morning. Or is it? On one bright morning, Alto Saotome faces 24 minutes of action, romance and terror... in real time.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:10

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.10 and 8.11 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:10:00**

"I can't believe you're so dense, Alto-Hime," Michael sighed, shaking his head. The two were only a few minutes from school, bags held nonchalantly over their shoulders as they walked. Oblivious to the conversation beside them was Luca, his eyes distant as he spied Nanase up ahead of them. She was looking around, concerned, but Alto missed it completely.

Little missed Michael's eyes, though, when it came to women, and his knowing smile deepened. It wasn't something common to see Nanase without Ranka on a school day – at least, one where Ranka had the full day off from her work duties.

Alto looked up, but not seeing anything before him. "I –" His phone chirped, and he reached into his pocket to pull it out.

**8:10:07**

He checked the holographic display on the front as it sprang into life. "Ranka?" he asked aloud, before accepting the call and placing the phone to his ear. "Ranka?" he repeated.

**8:10:12**

Her voice sounded a little weak on the other end of the line. "Alto-kun, I know i don't deserve it, but can I ask a favour from you?"

* * *

**8:10:18**

Ranka was wrapped up in bed, pale and sweating. She'd woken up earlier in the morning, and had started to get ready for school before feeling the effects of staying up late at a mall opening the night before. One of the many duties of a lower-ranked idol, Ranka had been there singing and dancing until one in the morning, and had apparently caught a chill. Once she awoke and realised that she was ill, and unable to battle bravely through the morning at least, she had collapsed back into bed.

Now, she sat hugging her pillow to her chest as she imagined Alto there with her instead of on the other end of the phone. "It's our assignment, Alto-kun. I won't make it to school today. Could you hand it in for me?"

**8:10:29**

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home, sick." She coughed for effect, pulling her pillow tighter to herself and imagining it was Alto's manly chest she was crushing against her.

Of course, particularly in her illness, Ranka's view of Alto was much more manly than the reality. He stood superhumanly above the rest of the male population... well, aside from her manly older brother. But her brother wasn't as yummy as Alto, and wasn't as supportive of her singing.

Alto sighed deeply into the phone. Ranka coughed again.

* * *

**8:10:37**

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes. Have it ready for me, will you?" Alto snapped his phone off.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked.

"Ranka's sick," Alto replied. "She wants me to take her assignment in."

"Oh," Michael said, turning away and grinning out of sight of Alto's gaze as the other slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned back the way they came. "What shall I tell the lovely Sheryl?"

"You're the one good with women; you think of something to tell her," Alto replied, before jogging back up the street.

**8:10:55**

Quickly, as Alto left earshot, Michael pulled out his own phone and hit an auto-dial button. It was picked up almost immediately by a breathless woman. "I have something you might want to know..."

**8:10:59..**

**8:11:00**

To be continued...

MACROSS CANON: Well, time for something new. Frontier's finally finished, and the story I've been wanting to write since halfway through the series can now spill out. Hope everyone enjoys it! My intention is to write this and release a chapter a day. Or that's the idea, anyway. Either way, it's something different to try and have fun with.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:11

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.11 and 8.12 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:11:00**

Sheryl Nome was currently on the floor of her apartment, legs spread wide open either side of her as part of her morning workout regime. One hand held her phone to her ear, listening intently to the voice on the other end of the line. Behind her, her manager, Grace O'Connor, watched with a half-smile on her face.

Well, Sheryl assumed she was watching. Unlike Sheryl, Grace was wired for sound, sight, and just about everything else, and she could just as likely be watching Sheryl bump, grind and slide her way across the floor as she could be riding a dozen information spacelanes.

Michael was the person on the other end of the line, one of her new classmates, and a work colleague of Alto. Hmmm. Alto. The thought of him and his soft, classical lines made her wish he was standing right there in the room with her as she folded a leg behind her head.

"Is it about Alto?" Sheryl asked.

**8:11:04**

"Yes, and Ranka-chan. She's sick this morning."

"I don't care about Ranka's health," Sheryl replied. Behind her, Grace stirred. "What's this about Alto?"

She heard Michael's long-suffering sigh as the obvious go-between for Alto and the various women in his life that he just didn't see were after him.

"Alto has been asked to pick up her assessment piece and hand it in this morning."

Sheryl sucked in a breath. That was this morning? She glanced over at her own notes, tossed in a corner. She had part of the assignment, but not the conclusions, and needed something to put down to finish it. She eyed it curiously before turning away again and shifting the phone to be closer to her mouth. "Michael," she breathed into the mouthpiece, "I would really, _really_ appreciate it if you could get that paper for me."

* * *

**8:11:36**

Michael was silent for a few moments, then nodded decisively. "Understood." He terminated the call with a sharp stab of his thumb, then nodded to Luca. "Come on. We have to help Alto!" He started running after Alto, with Luca giving a confused glance to Nanase before sighing and turning to chase Michael.

"Michael-sempai! Waaaait!"

* * *

**8:11:46**

"Copying an assignment, Sheryl? My, how dangerous."

"It'll be fine, Grace. Don't you know?" Sheryl turned her head and flashed Grace a dangerous smile. "I'm Sheryl Nome! Come on. We need to get there to get her assignment. You can drive!"

Grace's sly smile deepened, and she grabbed the car keys from a nearby table.

_Oh Sheryl,_ Grace thought to herself. _This is all going perfectly to plan._

**8:11:59..**

**8:12:00**

To be continued...

MACROSS CANON: The plot deepens. Will Alto find out Michael plans to betray him before it's too late? Will Luca remain an unwitting pawn in the machinations of evil? Will Ranka ever get over her cold? Will Sheryl get dressed before she leaves the house? (and more to the point, can she pick an outfit in less than 22 minutes) Find out in the next exciting episodes!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:12

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.12 and 8.13 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:12:00**

"Alto-kuuuun," Ranka moaned into Alto's ear from his phone, as he pelted up the street. She had just called him back on her phone a few moments before, catching him by surprise as he turned a corner into Ranka's street. He dodged around a cable car, getting to the other side of the road. "Alto-kuuuuuuuuun..."

"I'm still two minutes away, Ranka! You have to give me more time to get to you!" Alto panted into his mouthpiece, trying to push himself to move faster. It was getting close to time for the bell at school, and he didn't have long at all before he would be late himself. "Meet me downstairs, okay? At the door. Be ready for me."

"Okay, Alto-kun," Ranka replied, before he shut the phone off and threw it back into the hip pocket in his uniform pants. Behind him, he heard other people running.

* * *

**8:12:20**

"Alto-Hime! Wait up!" Luca called from behind. He was puffing already, far worse than Alto. Michael, on the other hand, seemed to be catching up without effort. Alto felt a pang of envy – being able to run like that without getting even slightly winded would make this morning so much easier.

"I can't wait!" Alto called back.

"It'll look better if we all turn up late," Michael replied, closer now. He was closing the gap between them effortlessly. "If we tell our homeroom teacher what happened, I'm sure he'll be okay with it."

"I can't take that risk! You both go to school!"

Michael glanced back at the struggling Luca. "Luca. You go on to school. Alto and I will go on to Ranka's together."

"Y-yes, Michael-sempai!" Luca gasped out before stopping and panting, hands on his knees and winded.

As Michael continued, he ignored the persistent buzzing in his pants pocket. Whoever it was would call back if it was important.

* * *

**8:12:42**

Klan Klan frowned as she hung up her phone. Being a Zentraedi model, it was oversized, massive larger than a human, and with a shrug she slipped it into her pocket. Wherever Michael was, she probably didn't want to know, after all. He was most likely nosing around some woman, someone else he could use to rub her nose in her failure.

She sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose with her forefinger, wishing the pain would go away, wishing she could forget him. But Klan knew, no matter what else happened in her life or his, she would always love him as her first love.

Klan knew why they couldn't be together, and it wasn't her fault, she was as betrayed by her biology as he was by society. Although an adult, in her miclonised form, she was of a very much younger appearance, and that could cause problems. Maybe. Did it really matter what they did? Did it matter so much what other people thought so long as they both knew the truth?

She sighed and shrugged, letting her tension go. Michael would be around for a good long while yet. She had plenty of time to tell him how she felt, seriously, and for them to develop something further than the childhood friendship they had shared. They had time.

All the time in the world.

Klan turned to leave the Zentraedi enclave, heading for Island One, the main city facility of the Frontier colonisation fleet. Maybe she would see Michael. Maybe they could walk together, talk together. Maybe. Too many maybes. But rather than go micloned, Klan decided to go in her natural full-size. After all, Michael seemed to take her more seriously that way.

* * *

**8:12:50**

Ranka stood from her bed, Ai-kun bouncing off and leaping to the ground to stare at her, concerned, from all three of his eyes. Ranka was unsteady, pale, swaying, and she reached for her assignment, taking it in her hands. "Don't worry, Ai-kun, I'm fine, really. I just need to get this to the door." She turned to face her doorway, the distance seeming to stretch on into infinity.

**8:12:59..**

**8:13:00**

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:13

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.13 and 8.14 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:13:00**

"Do you mind telling me why we're running so fast, Alto-Hime?" Michael asked, using the nickname that he knew needled Alto.

True to form, Alto Saotome – one of the finest traditional actors in the fleet, as well as the most promising cross-dressing actor in the Saotome stable - bristled, throwing a glare at Michael that would have caused him to spontaneously combust in a second had Alto been born with burgeoning psychic ability. "Because we need to get back to class before the bell rings. And Ranka needs me to deliver her assignment for her."

"Couldn't anyone go pick this up?"

"No! Only I can do it!" Alto said, picking up his speed. They were a block away from Ranka's house...

* * *

**8:13:12**

Inside her house, Ranka stumbled at her bedroom door. She grasped the doorframe for a moment, catching her breath and staring at the staircase opposite her. On her right hand, she clasped the loose pair of papers that made up her assignment. Ai-kun trilled softly at her feet, concerned about her strength.

"I'm okay, Ai-kun. If Alto can be strong enough to deliver my paper, I can be strong enough to meet him at the door." She pushed off from the doorway, and headed for the top of the staircase.

* * *

**8:13:25**

Sheryl leapt into the back of the limousine mostly pants-less, pulling up a brief pair of shorts as she rolled around on the back seat. "Grace! Get this car moving!"

Grace smiled and slipped into the driver's seat, calmly starting up the vehicle. The engine purred into life, and she reversed the car from its parking bay. "You may want to lower your rump," she reminded Sheryl, who was still trying to get the shorts up.

"These have shrunk in the wash!" Sheryl declared. There was no way she had put on weight around her hips. No way at all. What Grace had said penetrated. "Why do you say...?" She looked up, at the windows, where a small crowd stood as the car reversed through them to reach the road. She yelped, and the shorts slid up finally, Sheryl collapsing to the seat a moment later to lie out of sight, eyes closed, wishing this day would end already. "Let's go intercept Michael."

* * *

**8:13:46**

"There's Ranka's door!" Alto announced, reaching inside himself to find a little extra. He found it, and pulled ahead of Michael, who for the moment stayed behind him.

The door looked like any other door in the street, but the house had a slim alleyway next to it that always let Alto know where it was on the occasions he had walked Ranka home or met her on the way to school. His footfalls pounded on the footpath, then on the short stairs outside before smashing into the door with a thump.

Alto peeled himself off the door, and head a pair of quiet, dragging footsteps inside before the door lock disengaged and the door opened, revealing a very ill-looking Ranka.

"Ranka!" Alto exclaimed in surprise, concerned at her sweaty, pale appearance. She sagged onto the doorframe.

"Alto-kun... I'm not going to make it..." She collapsed against Alto in a dead faint.

Alto stared at her in surprise, before gripping her shoulders, shaking her and yelling, "RANKAAAAAA!"

**8:13:59..**

**8:14:00**

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:14

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.14 and 8.15 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:14:00**

"RANKAAAAA!" Alto cried again, holding her in his arms. She was pale, sweaty, and shaking spasmodically. She was in no condition to be out of bed, Alto realised, and he may have done more harm than good to have her meet them at the door. Inwardly, he cursed himself at his haste and urgency.

He looked down to see that Ranka had her assignment pages clutched to her chest in her right hand, rising and falling with her shallow breathing. Softly, he extricated from her grasp, which took a few moments as she initially didn't want to let them go. Once Alto had them free, he glanced at his watch.

**8:14:06**

**8:14:07**

He had less than sixteen minutes to make it to school on time. The assessments were due at 8:30 sharp, and the school was at least a ten minute run from here. Assuming he cut across town, he might be able to shave a minute or two off that, but he'd also run the risk of being held up in traffic. But right now, Ranka's assignment was the priority.

Ranka's eyes fluttered open. "A-Alto-kun?"

Alto gave her a reassuring gaze. "Don't worry, Ranka. I'll make sure your effort this morning was not in vain."

Michael moved to his elbow as Alto stood, his hand out and reaching, but Alto turned and placed Ranka in his arms. Michael started in surprise, his hands closing reflexively around Ranka as Alto stood back, a look of determination on his face.

"Please, get her back to bed safely. I've got to get this to the school!" With that, Alto turned and leapt off the stairs before running back up the street. Michael stared in surprise, before looking down at Ranka, burying herself in Michael's chest. With her eyes closed, she breathed deeply and smiled.

"Alto-kun..."

* * *

**8:14:29**

She hadn't been able to help it. A minute had gone by, and Klan was on the phone to Luca. "He's on his way to Ranka's house? Why is he going there? She's not his type."

"I don't know," Luca replied, sounding winded as if he'd been running a lot and was out of shape. "He just said we had to go help Alto-sempai and we ran. Then he told me to go back to school."

Klan looked at the time, a clock on the wall nearby at the Island One junction where she was entering to the main island facility from.

**8:14:38**

"She's not his type," Klan repeated, quietly. "He likes them bigger. Uh, older," she hurriedly corrected herself.

Luca didn't mention the slip. "I think he had a call from Sheryl when Alto left. Then he decided to go help Alto."

"Thanks, Luca." Klan ended the call, and wondered for a moment before hitting a pre-programmed number on the phone. Michael's name flashed up and the phone started to ring.

* * *

**8:14:50**

With one hand supporting Ranka as he navigated the stairs, Michael fished his phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. Klan. He sighed, and answered the call.

"Where are you -?"

Michael cut Klan off. "I can't talk now. I'm trying to get Ranka into bed. I'll speak with you later." He hung up on a horrified, surprised, "_What?_" from the other end of the line.

It had been her macloned Meltrandi tone of voice, Michael released belatedly. Not only hot-headed, Klan could also move pretty fast when she was full size – with a stride length of over fifteen metres, it wasn't hard to understand why. Oh well, he could explain himself when she reached him.

**8:14:59..**

**8:15:00**

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:15

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.15 and 8.16 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:15:00**

It had been a hard night for Ozma. He'd spent the night working closely with Cathy on a report for the latest incident with the Vajra, a hard night working _very_ closely. It was hard to remember at times that they were no longer an item, and with Cathy's engagement it was important that he _did_ remember they were no longer together.

Still, the smell of her hair as she turned to look at another monitor was intoxicating. But he was a hard man, a tough man, he had been through worse tortures than this in his paramilitary career, and he would beat this torture as well.

The taxi he rode turned into his street, only a few blocks away from his house now. He settled in and closed his eyes, allowing the driver to tell him when they got to his home.

* * *

**8:15:09**

"Faster, Grace!" Sheryl cried from the backseat, organising what she had of her assignment already. It was only a two-page affair, and yet it was responsible for thirty percent of their mark – the remaining seventy percent was to be taken from an impromptu drama session, at any time.

Most students were putting the drama off until the last day that was due, which was another week, but a couple had already gone in and performed for the teacher. Sheryl knew Alto hadn't, but Ranka had, and Sheryl had yet to go as well. She wanted to see what Alto, the filmic princess of the ages, could pull out before she went in to strut her own stuff.

She would be fine, because, as she so often said, she was Sheryl Nome.

What people didn't often understand about that statement wasn't that she thought she'd get by on her celebrity status, but that she would get through as she had everything else – very hard work, a lot of training and practise – all the things that people didn't think she did. She had dragged herself up from the gutter to become the so-called Galactic Fairy, so she could pass any troubles life threw her way through application of her own considerable personal effort.

Grace smiled as she saw Sheryl digging around in her assignment via the rear view mirror. _Everything is going according to plan. Soon, the Little Queen will be in our grasp._

* * *

**8:15:25**

Having reached Ranka's bed, Michael lay her down in it, and hesitated a moment before covering her in her blanket. He smiled, tenderly, his eyes softening for the moment it took him to remember why he was here. Alto.

Every moment spent was another ten metres he was away, and while Michael was the faster runner, he didn't know which route Alto was taking, nor did he know how far ahead Alto was.

This was bad. Sheryl would be so angry. An angry Sheryl wasn't something he wanted to see.

Honestly? Michael hoped Alto would pick Ranka over Sheryl, and not because Ranka was his CO's little sister, but because he felt the innocence of Ranka would work well with Alto's blockheadedness and lack of attention paid to other people.

"I'm sorry that it had to come to this," Michael whispered to Ranka, before turning and leaving. He didn't see Ai-kun leap onto the bed and snuggle under Ranka's covers.

He took the stairs three at a time, and sprinted out the front door, only hearing a car pull up rather than seeing it. He jumped, and skidded across the hood of the car, a taxi, as the back door opened and Ozma stepped out.

"Lieutenant?" Ozma barked in surprise, noting the open front door to the house.

"Sorry, Captain, something's come up! It's Alto –"

And then Michael was gone, the front door swinging in the breeze, Ozma with no information. Sudden fear gripped him, and he looked up at Ranka's room from the street, before running for the door.

"RANKA!" he yelled, in a pained voice. It couldn't be true.

**8:15:59..**

**8:16:00**

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:16

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.16 and 8.17 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:16:00**

"Ranka! Tell me who did this to you?"

"Allllllto-kuuuuun" Ranka mumbled under her breath, oblivious to her brother standing over her, shaking her by the shoulders. He let go as she said Alto's name, stepping back with eyes open wide in surprise. Alto? The rookie pilot? The one who looked like a girl? He'd been here, interacting with his little sister? Why was she so out of it, giggling and looking flushed and unable to respond to him?

No... No, not even Alto would defile his little sister. Surely not. Surely he went for boys, or that Sheryl girl in a pinch, even if Ozma knew his darling little sister did have something of an innocent crush on the pilot. No, there was no way Alto could be responsible. He tried speaking again to Ranka. "Ranka... who did this? Who came to the house?"

"Brother?" Ranka opened her eyes, weakly, burning with a fever she could feel in her cheeks. "Who was here? Alto was here..." She passed out again, her breathing deep and ragged.

Ozma raised his fist, gritting his teeth. "Alto...!" He had welcomed him into his squad, had paved his way through flight training – well, not too much, but a little, he'd seen the raw talent of the actor. He'd even trusted his little sister with him. He couldn't believe that Alto would have betrayed his trust like this, abused his hospitality.

This simply wouldn't do. Ozma bolted from the room, grabbing his phone and dialling Luca.

* * *

**8:16:28**

"Captain?" Luca answered the phone a moment later. "Where's Alto? I think he's on the way to school. He had to see Ranka – Captain? Captain?" Shrugging, Luca hung up his phone and continued heading to school.

He felt something through the ground, a tremor. It was unusual to feel that in this island, but he knew what it was: there was a full-sized Zentraedi around somewhere.

* * *

**8:16:43**

Nanase, unaware anything unusual was going on, blissfully continued on her way to school with a bland smile on her face.

* * *

**8:16:44**

Feet pounding on the pavement, his heavy breathing making his chest feel tight, Alto reached a main thoroughfare three blocks from Ranka's home, and saw a cable car trundling along the main street. He sprinted after it, one final effort, reached out and caught one of the rear poles, swinging himself up onto the back step.

Now, he could relax. But he wanted to sit.

Fifty metres behind him, Michael burst into the street, looking the other way.

Alto stepped inside the carriage, stepping around two people blocking the view into the railcar and out of Michael's possible line of sight only an instant before Michael turned around to check the car. Nothing. He missed Alto completely, and raised his hands to his head, running his fingers through his hair feeling the pressure.

"No!" Michael cried out, spinning around to look up the street again.

**8:16:59..**

**8:17:00**

To be continued...

MACROSS CANON: By now, if you haven't guessed this is a 24 crossover, I'd be very disappointed ;) This is an idea I've been trying to work out for a few years how to make work, but not until the combination of characters, school and combat of Macross Frontier could I make this work in my head. Originally, it was Ranma Saotome in the Jack Bauer role; here, it's another Saotome taking centre stage. I think this is far more fun than I had originally envisaged.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:17

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.17 and 8.18 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:17:00**

The cable car continued on its path away from Michael, heading towards his school, while Michael spun around looking for some sign of Alto. He caught a momentary flash of colour – someone that looked like Alto's build in one of the school uniforms! – and pelted off down another side street.

All the while, the cable car containing Alto pulled away further from Ranka's home.

**8:17:08**

A moment after Michael ducked into the morning crowds again to follow who he thought was his target, Sheryl's limousine drove slowly along the street, tailing the railcar.

* * *

**8:17:13**

Luca looked up from the ground, and saw Nanase ahead of him. His day brightened, and he picked up his pace to reach her before they reached the school. She was attractive, and although she was considerably taller than him, she didn't seem to hold that against him like some other women his age did. Judging by their respective walking speeds, he figured he'd reach her in a minute or two.

* * *

**8:17:18**

Klan looked around from her vantage point – at a touch over forty metres, she towered over most of the smaller buildings in the area. She saw Ozma's house not far from where she stood now, in fact she saw Ozma running up the street, making sure his gun was secured firmly in his shoulder holster. She saw the cable car, running up a central street half a kilometre to the south of where she stood – seeing from the side, and blessed with far stronger eyesight than a human, she spotted Alto sitting inside it, on the side nearest her, waiting on the edge of his chair, anxiously. An expensive black limo followed the car, but it seemed whomever was behind the blacked-out windows was looking for someone else, rather than the railcar.

And, down a side street leading off this main road, she saw Michael turn a corner into yet another road, shadowing the main road heading in the same direction as the cable car.

Being very careful, she stepped over the road, aware of how her size could disrupt the smaller lifestyles of the far smaller humans if she hurried. But still, a fifteen metre stride meant what most people covered in fifteen or twenty seconds, she was covering in a tenth the time. She'd catch him in moments.

Then, he could answer her questions about what he was doing trying to get his commanding officer's little sister into bed, and just how that could be such a bad career move.

* * *

**8:17:41**

"Have we lost them?" Sheryl asked Grace.

"Neither of them are making phone calls at present, and their phones aren't responding to the network," Grace replied after a slight pause, frowning. "Perhaps you could call one of them."

**8:17:56**

"You're right," Sheryl said, pulling out her phone and hitting the activation stud.

**8:17:59..**

**8:18:00**

To be continued..


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer** None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:18

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.18 and 8.19 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:18:00**

Before Klan could make a move on Michael, she saw him stop at the next corner, looking back to the main street he had left, and recognition strike his face. He bolted down the side street, and Klan sighed, shrugging in frustration amid the shouts below her before tracing her steps back to the main road.

* * *

**8:18:05**

Michael had seen Alto, on the cable car, heading towards the school. He stepped up his pace, racing now to catch the cable car before it got too far away.

His phone rang; he ignored it. It was probably Sheryl, or Captain Ozma, or maybe Klan or Luca, and he really needed his breath and concentration for this run. There would be time to deal with the incidentals later.

* * *

**8:18:09**

Alto relaxed on the train, idly glancing at Ranka's papers in his hand. He held them loosely, skimming the words as he let his guard down. He was going to make it. His own assignment was safely in his satchel, resting on his knees.

He didn't see Michael running for the car outside on his right, and he didn't see Sheryl's limo drive past on the left. And, of all the people on the cable car, Alto was the only person who didn't see Klan rejoin the main road behind them and turn for the railcar...

* * *

**8:18:14**

"Michael's not answering."

"It may not be safe, Sheryl," Grace reminded her as she scanned the crowds. There was a seventy percent probability that the Saotome boy would be heading down this road to get to his school, but she wasn't seeing him anywhere.

She did, however, see the Meltrandi enter the road behind them, and for a moment as she watched Klan's pace pick up towards them, she had the ludicrous thought that all her plans were about to come to nought.

But Klan was turning slightly away from them, angling to come up the other side of the cable car beside them, and with her larger strides, she was making ground on them. The car jumped slightly with each footfall.

* * *

**8:18:24**

Arms and legs pumping, Michael sprinted up the short side street, determined not to let the cable car get away. Thankfully, it was moving slow, and he was able to intercept the carriage, swinging up onto the rear platform and pushing through the people standing beside the door. Alto was sitting just inside, against the left wall of the car, with his wide window open beside him. He had the assignment in his hands, Michael realised, looking at it with a relaxed smile on his face.

Michael hesitated. Could he really do this? They weren't exactly close, and had an occasionally antagonistic relationship, but Alto could generally be counted on to do the right thing in the end, and often a friend with him was a friend for life. They had closed some of the gaps in their friendship after Alto had found out a little about his history from Klan, and doing this could jeopardise everything.

But, on the other hand, he considered that Alto was just blind when it came to women. If it didn't fly, he wasn't all that obviously interested, and breasts were among the most un-aerodynamic features of humans.

Wisely, he didn't think of Klan as he thought of this.

He didn't even recognise as she missed grabbing him as he had leapt onto the rear platform of the carriage, so focussed he was on Alto.

This had to help him. Michael only had an inkling about how this could be used to bring Sheryl to Alto's attention, or push him back to Ranka. If it went well for Sheryl, she would no doubt be there for him to tease and poke his psyche and Alto would capitulate – at worst, he'd have to go back and tell Ranka he'd lost her assignment and that could lead to a tender moment that even Alto couldn't miss. If Sheryl was unsuccessful, then she would need consoling, and who better than her favourite flyboy and chew toy?

A black limo passed outside Alto's window, moving slightly faster than the carriage. Without taking a moment longer, Michael gathered his thoughts and his courage, and leapt onto the empty seat next to Alto, grabbed the loose papers from his hand and continued on his way out the window, launching himself from the sill to the car.

But the car was moving just slightly too fast, and he misjudged where it was going to be. He was going to hit the ground, and hard, so he started to tuck into a roll and hoped there were no other vehicles nearby.

* * *

**8:18:57**

"Michael!"

Weird; he reflected, he thought he'd just heard Klan's voice as everything seemed to move in slow-motion. Her full-size voice, booming from above. A nearby window shattered. As he rolled over, he saw Alto, moving to a standing position at the window, looking in surprise and shock from his empty hand to Michael clutching Ranka's assignment.

An instant before he touched the road surface, he felt soft, giant fingers close around him, and a sudden rush of acceleration as he zoomed up into the air. He lost his tenuous grip on the assignment papers, and they fluttered to the ground.

"Noooo!!"

**8:18:59..**

**8:19:00**

To be continued..

MACROSS CANON: Or, How I Write Fics. Usually, I have an endpoint in mind and work backwards from there. Here, when the fic went from Ranma to Frontier, I realised it fit the characters a lot better, and had more room for comedy, but I needed to plot out why everyone was after Alto in 24 fashion. So, I came up with the idea of the assignment, as I could pull in most of the main characters around this, instead of a Vajra attack (which I had considered, but dropped for the real-time considerations). From that point, it was weaving the various ideas and scenes I had come up with into the story itself. I know some people obsessively plot out each point in a story or serial, but I can't, so it comes down to having a number of exciting or humourous scenes loosely plotted out in my head, then dropping them into the series as I go. Like, for Truth/Love/Justice, my first image was Ranma's rather... unusual death at the end of the Love arc, followed by Yoshihiro's birth in Truth. Here, the main image I had right before I started was... something I can't say yet because it hasn't happened. Yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:19

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.19 and 8.20 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:19:00**

Alto watched as Michael disappeared from sight, lifted high above the rail car, before he saw the papers of Ranka's assignment flutter down towards the road. Slightly ahead of him, the black limo slowed down, but he didn't notice. Instead, his attention was on the paper, and after a moment's hesitation, he launched himself from the window as Michael had a few seconds earlier with his satchel flying out wide for balance as he reached with his other hand.

Reaching, reaching... finally, the paper touched his fingertips, and Alto managed to bring them in. He landed on the ground, dropping his satchel for a moment to roll with the force of hitting the road, but kept his grip on the piece of assessment. Ranka was relying on him to hand this in at the school.

Far behind him, Ozma appeared into the street.

* * *

**8:19:15**

The black limo stopped ahead of Alto, the rear door opening.

* * *

**8:19:16**

Klan glared into her hand.

* * *

**8:19:17**

Alto smiled. Everything would be fine now. He just had to get to school. He turned towards the school, to continue on his way, but was confronted by a long pair of bare legs emerging from the limo in front of him.

He didn't see Ozma approaching from behind, running, his gun out and held with both hands slightly to Ozma's right.

"Alto," Sheryl called, as she stood up from the rear door of the car. "Come. I'll give you a ride to school."

"Uh, Sheryl, you're not dressed for –"

Sheryl gave a sultry smirk. "I'll get dressed on the way."

Alto's jaw dropped and his eyes shrank. "... WHAT??"

"It's okay, you're only Alto, after all," Sheryl smirked again, walking towards him, stopping half a metre from Alto. Her physical presence was overwhelming, and Alto felt his heart race at the expression on her face for a moment until he realised she was, in some senses, just like him.

An actor, an entertainer, able to twist people's perceptions. His expression grew distrusting.

"I am not getting in that car with you."

"Oh, that would be fine, then." Sheryl shrugged, her demeanour changing on the spot. "I'll make sure these get to school on time." With that, she snatched Ranka's work out of his hand, and was gone, diving into the back of the limo.

"Hey, wait –" Alto got out before he was tackled from behind.

**8:19:44**

Ozma pushed Alto down into the ground as Sheryl's car started to move. He ground the barrel of his pistol down into Alto's temple, who struggled to push Ozma off and get to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"What the hell did you do to Ranka?"

"Nothing she didn't want me to do!" Alto bit back, trying to get free.

"Bastard!" Ozma spat, slapping the side of Alto's face hard enough to snap it back into the hard road surface.

"Captain?" Klan asked from above. She was bending down, Michael peering over her fingers. Ozma looked up and started for a moment, keeping him off balance long enough for Alto to scramble free and grab his satchel.

"Lieutenant! His bag!"

"Got it," Klan said, snapping into action at orders, grabbing Alto's bag surprisingly quickly and gently between fingertips bigger than the bag, and throwing it.

"NOOOOO!" Alto yelled, before Ozma punched him in the back again.

**8:19:59**

**8:20:00**

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:20

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.20 and 8.21 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:20:00**

Alto watched his satchel with his assignment and extra items in it disappear into the sky as he held his side and back in pain from where he'd been punched. He took a staggering step after it, but Ozma grabbed him again, spun him around and belted him across the cheek with the barrel of his pistol.

"_What did you do to Ranka?_"

"Wait, Captain," Michael called from Klan's hand, "I've just explained to Klan what's going on. Alto didn't do anything. He was getting her assignment to school for her."

"Is this true?" Ozma demanded of Alto. Alto nodded, holding his cheek now gingerly with his other hand. Behind him, Sheryl's limo pulled further away. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You didn't give me much choice!" Alto's fists balled. "And _my_ assignment was in that bag!"

**8:20:19**

Ozma holstered his gun, scowling. "I thought you were going for a gun. But why is Ranka all flushed and... and sweaty?"

"She has a cold!" Alto yelled back. "She's sick! Michael put her back into bed for me."

"That explains why you were getting her into bed," Klan replied, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Michael.

"I said everything was completely innocent."

"It doesn't explain why you stole Ranka's assignment from me," Alto reminded him. He glanced at his watch.

* * *

**8:20:36**

"Grace, I want you to copy this paragraph for me, and in my handwriting." Sheryl pointed out the conclusion on Ranka's second page, and handed Grace her own assignment piece. Grace took a proffered pen a moment later, and began scribbling at a rapid rate.

"This would be considered cheating, you know... if you were ever found out. It could lead people to look to where you came from."

Sheryl shot Grace a sharp look. "I'm Sheryl Nome," she replied, eventually. "And sometimes, Sheryl Nome needs to copy homework from her friends, just like anyone else."

**

* * *

**

8:20:56

A moment later, Ranka's torn assignment flew out the driver's window of the limo as the limo pulled away for the school.

**

* * *

**

8:20:57

"Nanase! What a –" Luca broke off his introduction as Alto's bag screamed out of the sky and slammed into the ground in front of him, tearing the side and spilling some of the insides out. Including –

Luca gasped.

**8:20:59..**

**8:21:00**

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:21

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.21 and 8.22 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:21:00**

"Let me carry you, at least," Klan said, hands on her hips staring annoyed at Alto down on the ground.

"I've got to get to school! And find my bag, and Ranka's assignment." Alto turned to go.

Klan's finger, stabbing into the road surface immediately ahead of him, pulled him up short. "And I can cover more ground than you can." She lowered her hand so Alto could step on.

Michael gave him a confident pat on the back. "Once you ride a Zentraedi, you will never want to ride anything else again."

Klan blushed furiously. "Michael..."

Alto gave him a confused look. "What?"

Ozma cleared his throat, fist covering his mouth with his eyes closed. He wasn't going to respond to that at all. Instead, after a moment of this pose, Alto stepped up onto Klan's fingers, and a moment later, he was dizzyingly high above the ground, without the safety of a cockpit around him or a pair of wings strapped to his back.

It was exhilarating in one sense, and terrifying in another.

**

* * *

**

8:21:26

Nanase bent down to Luca's level, where he was blushing furiously and hiding the spilled contents of Alto's satchel tightly against his chest. "Luca-kun? What is it?"

"You can't see this!" Luca announced. "You can never see this!" _Oh, Alto..._ Luca thought in despair.

Nanase tried to pull the tear in the satchel open enough for a peek, but Luca turned quickly, and started jogging. She followed him, really curious now. "I won't tell anyone, Luca-kun. What's in the bag?" She unconsciously laid a hand on her chest to stop it from bouncing as she jogged alongside Luca.

Luca found the sight entrancing, and blushed, trying now to think of a way to clear his mind enough to formulate a coherent argument as to why Nanase couldn't look into the bag. "Because. Uh, because."

"But whyyyy, Luca-kun?"

Luca found it impossible to believe that Nanase was being this cute completely innocently. She was drawing him in. He pulled ahead, and she matched him, bouncing along next to his head. He turned away, and she stepped in front of him then, stopping dead. He ploughed into her, coming to a (relatively soft) sudden stop.

"Aaahhh!"

"Oh Luca-kun, you _hurt_ me," Nanase moaned as Luca extricated himself from her front. Oh no, no way was thisnot on purpose, but while Luca was still embarrassed and surprised by the sudden move, Nanase grabbed the bag from his slackened arms and peeked inside. Her eyes grew wide with shock and horror. "Oh, Alto-Hime..."

**

* * *

**

8:21:57

In her bed, shivering wildly, Ranka slept fitfully. It wasn't something that was easy for her in her current state, but Ai-kun was curled up beside her, a warm spot in her bed that helped keep her more comfortable than she would have been.

She rolled over, wrapping her arms around and gripping her shoulders as she flushed in her sleep. "Oh, Alto-kun..."

**8:21:59..**

**8:22:00**

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:22

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.22 and 8.23 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:22:00**

Klan took giant steps down the street, Alto peering at the ground. Movement in the distance caught his eye, and he saw Sheryl's limousine turn off the main road, heading now towards the school.

"That's Sheryl," he said, pointing. Klan looked, squinting.

"Window's being wound up. It's likely they've already disposed of the evidence."

"I need that assignment!" Alto said urgently, gripping Klan's fingertips with his much-smaller fingers. He looked around wildly, and saw two pieces of paper blown up by the car's movement, drifting away from the ground into the artificial air currents above the surface. Any moment now, they'd be blown higher than Klan could reach. "Klan! There!" He pointed, and she swiped with the hand Alto wasn't standing on, her oversized fingers managing to catch one of the sheets. The other was disrupted, its course becoming erratic and it flew sideways before being blown back to Klan's head.

"No!" yelled Alto, standing suddenly and turning to run towards Klan's head.

* * *

**8:22:19**

Sheryl held up both sheets of her assignment, quickly comparing the work. The handwriting between the two segments, her own work and Grace's copied section from Ranka's assignment, were identical in appearance. Good. She smiled. "Good work, Grace. Thank you for this."

The car was only two blocks now from the school, and Sheryl could see the gates. "Drop me off at the front building."

"We'll be there in a minute," Grace said, confidently.

"Poor Alto-kun. You think he'll make it on time?"

"It's not like you to be concerned with others," Grace replied, glancing in the mirror. "Are you sure you're all right? I don't want you to go on this tour to Gallia-4 if you're not feeling one hundred percent."

"I'm fine," Sheryl said firmly, putting her metaphorical foot down. Privately, she did feel a little under the weather, but that just had to be her schedule more than anything. Moody now, she stared out the window, her chin resting on her hand, watching a Meltrandi in the distance pull back in panic.

What was going on there, she wondered.

* * *

**8:22:54**

"Are you _insane_?" Klan roared, nearly causing Alto to lose his balance as he ran down the full length of Klan's outstretched arm, jumped from the highest point of her shoulder and used her ear to launch himself on top of her head, his eyes watching the paper floating just now beyond easy reach.

He made Klan go cross-eyed to keep her eyes focussed on him as she tilted her head back a moment after he launched himself into the air without thinking. He stretched – grabbed the second page of Ranka's assignment – and then realising there was nothing between him and the ground so far below apart from a very surprised Zentraedi whose head was now too far behind him to land on again, Alto panicked before gravity reasserted its control over his body and pulled him towards the ground...

**8:22:59..**

**8:23:00**

To be continued...

MACROSS CANON: Will Alto survive his deadly fall? Will he make it to school on time? Precisely what kind of dreams is Ranka having about Alto? And what deadly secret does he carry in his bag that has made both Luca and Nanase shocked and horrified beyond belief?


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:23

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.23 and 8.24 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:23:00**

Like some kind of childhood bogeyman hiding under a bed, gravity clutched at Alto's feet and the rest of him now that he was free from using Klan Klan as a springboard.

Unfortunately, it was from over forty metres up in the air that gravity grabbed at Alto from.

He was lucky, though. Being inside an artificial colony ship, the gravity in the outdoor areas was only at one full gravity down close to the surface itself. The strength of the artificial gravitons dropped off quickly the higher one got, and in buildings of more than a couple of stories, the flooring contained additional gravity elements so people experienced a full one-gee gravity at all levels.

Outdoors, though, forty metres above the ground, the gradient dropped away the higher one got, so forty metres up equalled about one quarter normal gravity – an acceleration of just under three metres a second.

Therefore, Alto had only been airborne for a couple of seconds before he got winded but Klan's giant hand whistling out of nowhere in her own shocked panic and grabbed him, swinging him around rapidly and also making him feel sick.

Klan stopped moving, and levelled her hand out, opening it so Alto wasn't grabbed so tightly. "Are you okay?" was her first question, quickly followed by an indignant, "What the hell was that?"

**8:23:11**

Alto felt his face drain of colour for a moment as what he had just done hit home. "I... I wasn't thinking," he said finally.

"That's obvious! Do you have a death wish or something?"

"N-no."

"Then _don't jump off my head again._" Klan paused, looking around. "Come on. I said I'd get you to school on time. How long do you have left?"

Alto consulted his watch. "About six and a half minutes before I have to deliver it." He looked at the sheet in his hand, and the other as Klan passed it to him, and shuddered at the smudged and torn paper. This was in no condition to be handed in as Ranka's work. She was, after all, working so hard already, with the movie and her budding roles around the entertainment district. But what option did he have, really? "Okay, let's go."

Klan nodded, making sure Alto was holding everything before starting moving again, heading towards the school. She'd make it there in a minute or two, right to the front door, no big deal. Then Alto would be able to deliver the assignment, and everything would be fine.

Maybe the captain would even cover her for the damage she was causing at her size, footprints in parks and gardens, a smashed road where she'd poked her finger in to stop Alto from leaving, and (although Alto hadn't seen it) a smashed-in roof and wall where her knee had punched through when she moved to grab him as he fell.

Well, Alto didn't ask, she wouldn't tell. Hopefully the captain would be the same way.

* * *

**8:23:32**

Nanase and Luca couldn't look at each other as they entered the school gates. For a change, Sheryl's limo didn't mount the curb or try and run anyone over as it passed them, but they didn't notice, seeing as they were looking anywhere but the satchel Luca clasped in his hands, held tightly against his chest to stop anything from peeking out.

"Do... do we turn it in?" Nanase asked finally. "Do we report him for having... this?"

Luca shook his head. "He's Alto. He'll have a good explanation for it. Maybe it's some secret mission."

"Secret mission? He has to be very unbalanced to be carrying that around with him." Nanase was trying to act indignant, but privately was interested in the gossip. Luca was just disturbed.

"Maybe it has something to do with Ranka – or Sheryl!"

"Well," Nanase conceded, looking away with a finger tapping the side of her mouth, "I guess it _could_ be Sheryl's. But I'd prefer Ranka's."

Luca looked down at the bag and blushed.

Neither of them paid attention to the steady thumping of Klan's approaching feet.

* * *

**8:23:55**

Michael sat in the car, commandeered by Ozma, as he drove towards the school. The captain looked angry, hunched over the wheel of the tiny hatchback, the driver squashed into the back. Michael remembered Ozma flagging down the terrified driver with the use of his service pistol, the big chromed weapon bouncing artificial sunlight into the driver's eyes and then demanding the use of the vehicle to get his subordinate – Michael – to a mission of vital importance. Ozma hadn't yet admitted to the driver that the mission location was the school, and Michael wasn't sure the captain was going to admit it out loud. This was... an inappropriate abuse of power, but as Michael had to be at school as well as Alto and Sheryl, Michael wasn't going to complain.

But, Sheryl had left him behind. Michael didn't know what to think of that. And so had Klan, but with the comment he had made, he supposed he could understand why she wasn't feeling as well-disposed towards him as usual. He sighed.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Ozma said with a dark grin from somewhere near the steering wheel, mistaking Michael's sigh for something else. "We'll be there shortly."

**8:23:59..**

**8:24:00**

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:24

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.24 and 8.25 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:24:00**

Ranka's eyes opened, and she glanced at a clock buried on her bedside table. Just gone eight-twenty four. Six minutes before school started. She still felt bad – she'd only been asleep less than ten minutes, fitfully tossing and turning and dreaming about Alto turning into herself, but awake now, even fevered, she knew that was only a dream.

She felt something funny in the pit of her stomach.

Ai-kun cooed from next to her, like a long, green pigeon, and Ranka gave a weak chuckle and stroked his head. He made her feel like singing, but at the moment, she had better things to do.

She reached out, and took her phone from the bedside table, squeezing the sides of the small green beastie to bring up the phone's menu. With a trembling finger, she scrolled down to reach the number for the Mihoshi Academy and hit the 'call' button.

"_Thank you for calling Mihoshi Academy. All our service staff are currently busy, but your call is important to us, and we ask that you stay on the line._" The call descended into hold music.

Ranka sighed, and flopped back into the bed.

* * *

**8:24:25**

Klan's footsteps grew careful as she moved amongst the students hurrying the final hundred metres to the school gates. Ah, now there was a problem. Or, rather, for Klan, not so much of one. She decided she'd just step over the fence next to the gate, pushing aside one of the trees as she did so.

She was barely aware of the eyes of the male populace on her until she had her leg up, ready to step over the shin-high fence, and then she remembered she was wearing a skirt. "You're all sick!" she yelled down at the teenage boys gathered around the gate, blushing and getting angry at the same time.

"Be my girlfriend!" one called back.

"If you want Klan as your girlfriend, you'll have to fight me first," Michael smirked, climbing out of the car he and Ozma pulled up in. Ozma also climbed out, looking at the owner in the backseat.

"Remember, this has been a secret SMS operation. Your assistance in this time has been noted and greatly appreciated." The driver nodded mutely

The boy who'd called out to Klan eyed Michael up before turning away in disgust. Several others continued to eye him speculatively. They weren't entirely sure whether the blond young man would take them in a fight and were obviously considering making a move.

Klan shook her head in disgust; he didn't want her, but wouldn't let anyone else have her, either? Would he just make up his mind? She stomped towards the school's front doors, Alto in hand, concentrating on the doors, nothing else entering his attention.

Suddenly, a voice came from down below. "Alto!"

**8:24:59..**

**8:25:00**

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:25

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.25 and 8.26 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:25:00**

Alto peered down over Klan's fingers, and saw Luca and Nanase, very carefully not looking at each other, nor, it seemed, at him. They waved at him, he waved back, slowly, feeling it was pointless as neither was looking at him to see it. He lowered his hand reluctantly.

Then he saw what Luca was holding tightly against his chest.

* * *

**8:25:06**

The hold music stopped, and Ranka's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to speak, but the phone got in first. "_Your call is important to us. Please wait for our next available service representative._"

* * *

**8:25:11**

The office of Mihoshi Academy was normally a hive of activity, but this morning there was only one staff member on, the others having called in sick. Right now, she was on the phone.

"... and another thing, those cabbages _weren't_ on sale. The spring onions were. It's so out of season for them, though!" She glanced at her phone's control unit. "Yeah, there's still someone in the queue. They'll wait, or call back, I'm sure. So, those seven-coloured carrots were good. Big enough to feed a family for a year, though..."

* * *

**8:25:26**

Ranka flopped back in her bed, growling. Ai-kun trilled a soft tone to calm her down.

* * *

**8:25:27**

Sheryl stepped out of the limo, having quickly changed on the way into the school grounds. Grace smiled, and drove off once Sheryl was out of the car, while Sheryl headed up the stairs and looking over to where the giant Meltrandi had stopped around the gates, looking down. She was holding someone, Sheryl noticed. But no matter. She only had a few minutes to hand her assignment in.

* * *

**8:25:37**

"Can you pass it up here, Luca?" Alto tried again, fighting frustration. "Will you just look at me!"

"S-sure, Alto-sempai!" Luca looked up, but to the right of where Alto was.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's that in your bag, Alto-kun?" Nanase asked, innocently.

"In my bag -? What? Have you been looking in there?" Alto grew suspicious and nervous. He wasn't a big fan of people digging through his things.

"No!"

**8:25:49**

"Good, because I've got a change of clothes in there. And I don't like people going through my things."

Luca turned to Nanase in surprise as Klan bent down and reached out with her other hand for Luca to deposit the bag in. This meant she had to drop the hand that had been holding the back of her skirt down, and there was a collective sigh from behind. "Now, please," she demanded.

Luca deposited the satchel in Klan's outstretched hand, and whispered to Nanase, "He's just like Bobby-san!"

**8:25:59..**

**8:26:00**

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:26

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.26 and 8.27 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:26:00**

Klan straightened up and passed the satchel to Alto, who quickly made sure his assignment was inside, along with his change of clothes. Yes, everything was there, and his assignment was relatively undamaged.

He glanced quickly at Ranka's torn and smudged assignment piece, and made a quick decision. He crossed out his name and quickly scribbled 'Ranka Lee' along the top of his work, before standing again. "Thank you, Luca, Nanase. Klan, I have to get to school! It's of vital importance!"

"Mmm!" Klan nodded, her other hand dropping back behind her skirt again before heading quickly for the front doors of the school.

* * *

**8:26:15**

"Well," Nanase said, "that's certainly a side to Alto-kun that I didn't expect."

"Me either," Luca agreed, sharing a moment of confidence with Nanase. "I always thought he was such a manly man."

"Nickname aside?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Nanase chuckled, and gave Luca a quick squeeze before jogging off towards the Academy's front doors.

* * *

**8:26:29**

The hold music continued playing. Ranka yawned, and mopped her feverish brow. Where was her brother? Hadn't he come home earlier? He wasn't supposed to be going anywhere else today. This was bad. Why was it taking so long to get through to the school?

* * *

**8:26:36**

"Here is fine, Klan." Klan scowled at the boys around, some of whom had chased her from the gates and had arrived, puffing and panting, and bent over the steps, stretching out her arm to allow Alto to hop off at the doors. He turned, and gave her a confident smile while saluting her with two fingers. "Thank you, Lieutenant!" Then he turned and disappeared inside.

Klan blushed again before standing up. "He could be dangerous, if ever he felt like Michael."

"How's that?" Michael said from beside her, patting her ankle as he passed by. Klan blushed deeper.

"Never you mind!" she yelled, before stomping off.

* * *

**8:26:54**

Inside the building, Alto looked around quickly. If he played this move right, he could kill two birds with one stone, but he didn't have long, a quick glance at his watch told him he only had three minutes now to get the assignment in. Plenty of time, if his old skills weren't too rusty.

It wasn't that he didn't like doing what he was about to do, but it wasn't what he had his heart set on, and he hadn't wanted to go back to this part of his life. But, sometimes circumstances dictate what one does with their life, and in this case, it had been the school board who had decided one so recognised as Alto Saotome had to take drama classes as a compulsory subject as part of the conditions for accepting him. Alto felt it was that they were hoping he would join the amateur theatrics clubs and raise the profile of the school, but that wasn't going to happen. They could make him go to class, but they couldn't make him act for the public.

No, he had to do something now, something that would allow him to pass his subject even without his assignment. He stuffed Ranka's pages into his bag, and entered the nearest toilet...

**8:26:59..**

**8:27:00**

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:27

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.27 and 8.28 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:27:00**

The door to the men's toilets swung shut behind Alto as he hurried to peer in a mirror above one of the sinks. Good. He could do this. He only had a few minutes to act. It had to be done just right, otherwise all was lost.

He turned on the tap, and splashed his face carefully with cold water.

* * *

**8:27:09**

Sheryl bowed from the doorway as she backed out of one of the staffrooms, having now handed in her assignment. "Thank you, sensei."

"Ah, Sheryl-san," the teacher asked, placing Sheryl's work on his desk. "I know this is highly irregular to ask a student, but... I mean, I don't know how..." He scratched the back of his head, uncertain how to continue.

Sheryl gave him a confident smile. "An autograph, sensei?" The drama teacher gave her an embarrassed, guilty grin and a shallow nod. "I can do that. After all, I'm Sheryl." She quickly signed a piece of paper that the teacher found, scribbling a quick message to go with it, and drew a little love heart around her name. Fans loved the heart. Made them feel special and like they were the Galactic Fairy's one and only true love.

After that, she backed out of the room again, giving another bow before closing the door behind her and leaving with a smirk.

_Beat that performance, Alto,_ she thought to herself. _It could only have been better if I'd cried._

* * *

**8:27:41**

Outside, Luca called out to Michael as he and Nanase hurried up the stairs. "Michael-sempai! I'm surprised you got here before us!"

Michael turned, and gave a flick of his fringe with his fingers, showering the two with his most confident smile, the one that melted through whatever defences Klan had up when he asked her for favours. It didn't have the same effect on Luca as it did on Nanase, and Luca felt a momentary pang of jealousy before he returned it. "I caught a lift," Michael explained.

Nanase blushed, and looked away. "Did anything exciting happen between you and Alto-kun?"

Luca took in the way Nanase asked that, and instantly pictured Alto in bondage gear, with Michael standing over him in leather briefs with a leather mask covering his face, whipping Alto. The expression on his face must have given Michael some indication of what he was thinking, because Michael laughed and waved the comment off.

"Not at all. Just an everyday, boring trip to school. Did anything happen to you?"

Luca blushed. "Well..."

* * *

**8:27:58**

In the toilet block, Alto finished towelling his face with paper towel, and opened his bag.

**8:27:59..**

**8:28:00**

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:28

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.28 and 8.29 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:28:00**

_Two minutes until the deadline_, Alto thought as he rummaged in his bag. _I can do this._

He glanced in the mirror again, and saw the door into the toilet block was unlocked – but he heard no footsteps outside, heard nothing to suggest anyone was coming. He had plenty of time. If he was at the top of his game, he'd only have needed thirty seconds. Still, he was counting on a minute to get ready for the performance of his life. He should have plenty of time to do what he had to.

Alto pulled off his shirt and stuffed it into his bag.

* * *

**8:28:07**

"_Your call is important to us_..." the voice on the other end of the phone droned. Ranka felt like falling asleep again. She was starting to feel she wasn't going to be able to get through to her teacher.

* * *

**8:28:09**

"I'd better take this call," the operator at Mihoshi Academy told her friend on the phone. "She's been waiting a couple of minutes. I'll call you back shortly."

The operator terminated her current call, and let the waiting call drop into her phone. "Good morning, this is Mihoshi Academy. How may I direct your call?"

"Eh?" came a sick-sounding voice on the other end of the line. "Ogata-sensei, please."

"Hold the line, please." The operator brought up Ogata's extension, and tapped open a line. "I'm putting you through now."

* * *

**8:28:26**

The phone buzzed on Ogata's desk, but he was dancing around the office out of reach from the phone, waving his new autograph from Sheryl Nome and singing and dancing. Not sensing the teacher at his desk, the phone switched over to an automated message. "_Ogata-sensei is not currently available, or is on another call. Please hold the line, and I will put you through as soon as he is available._"

On the other end of the line was a loud, "Eeeehh?"

* * *

**8:28:35**

Alto pulled something yellow from his bag, and held it up. It would do.

He was cutting it close, though. Just over a minute to get to the office... no, he'd do it, and with time to spare.

* * *

**8:28:38**

"No, I don't think Alto has a girlfriend," Michael answered, confused. "I mean... Sheryl-san... and Ranka-chan..." He looked at the retreating Meltrandi and sighed. Add Klan to the list as well? No. He sighed helplessly. "He's clueless."

"Maybe... he likes men?" Nanase asked, looking up as she thought about it. "He's so feminine. Maybe he's a girl in disguise!"

Michael waved that one off straight away. "Alto-hime is a man."

"But, he likes wearing women's underwear."

"Uh... what?"

* * *

**8:28:54**

The dress flowed down his body easily enough. Years of waxing any body hair paid off, as well. The boots felt a little snug on his feet, but Alto could live with that.

At the moment, he had his hair twirled up in one hand, while pulling a green wig down on his head, tucking strands of his hair underneath as he deftly fitted it into place. With two seconds to go until he had a minute to go, Alto snapped the wig's band into place, the material around the rim melding into his flesh tones so as not to show a join, and he smoothed lip gloss over his lips. Just about done.

And not a second to spare.

**8:28:59..**

**8:29:00**

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:29

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.29 and 8.30 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:29:00**

One last thing remained for Alto to do before his transformation was complete. A quick dig in his bag revealed a pair of clear contacts, which he slipped from their case and, holding his eyes open one by one, he quickly dropped the contacts in with a speed borne from long years of practice. As he blinked, they activated, changing colour to amber as he watched in the mirror. Perfect. That was the last thing he had to do.

He scooped his clothes quickly into his satchel, and turned to leave.

* * *

**8:29:08**

Michael stopped laughing, finally, and waved off Nanase's suggestion. "Alto isn't into wearing women's underwear. He might have been an actor who specialised in playing princesses, and a damned good one, but he's not into the whole 'I want to be a woman' thing." _Although, if he was, no doubt there would be any number of men willing to play make-believe_, Michael reflected. "I've got class. I'm going to be laughing at this all day..."

Michael turned to face the doors, and saw Ranka run down the corridor inside, heading for what appeared to be the drama department.

Except... Ranka was home, in bed, sick. Michael had put her to bed himself. He leaned back to Luca and Nanase, who had missed the sight. "Uh... what _else_ did Alto-hime have in his bag?"

* * *

**8:29:33**

"_Your call is important to us –_"

"Ehhh? Still?"

* * *

**8:29:37**

Sheryl had a smile on her face almost from ear to ear. It had been a satisfying morning. Ranka had (unwittingly) helped her with her homework, she had found time to play with Alto, and she'd gotten work handed in on time.

It was a pity, really, that Alto hadn't made it to the school on time, she reflected, but she figured his marks would be high enough anyway, seeing as he was an actor.

But she didn't quite know the whole story behind that, not really. She knew he'd been a popular actor, her time recently helping out on a local film production had proven that, but beyond that, she really didn't know much about him. He loved flying, that was something else she knew, and he was hard to read emotionally, as there always seemed to be a barrier up around his feelings that she couldn't quite break through.

She might have found a way around that, though, she thought as inspiration struck. She pulled out her phone as Ranka ran past, feet tap-tapping softly in her tan leather boots, and dialled Grace. "A quick question. This proposed trip to Gallia-4, can I select a bodyguard?"

Then she stopped, and whipped around but Ranka was nowhere to be seen. As far as Sheryl knew, Ranka was at home, in bed, sick. And she wasn't quite that tall. Who had that...?

"No..." she breathed, a grin lighting her face up as realisation hit.

* * *

**8:29:54**

Ogata danced around staffroom while there were still no other teachers about, holding Sheryl's autograph to his chest. Later, he would not admit he was weeping with joy. Once he reached home, this piece of unassuming paper would join the ticket stub he had Firebomber sign years earlier on one of their tours, but for now, it was a magical gateway to his own personal heaven.

There was a knock at the door as he passed it, and he struggled to compose himself as he stopped dancing, put on a stern expression as he caught sight of the time while turning.

**8:29:56**

Two seconds. There were two students who had yet to hand their work in. The Saotome boy, and the Lee girl. Ahhh, if only Ranka would come today, and also give him an autograph, that would make the day perfect. Yet, as he'd told Sheryl before, while he saw her most days in class, it wasn't something a teacher could ask of a student, not if he hoped to retain any respect of his class, and not cause suspicion of favouritism.

He slid the door open, to find Ranka Lee standing before him. She bent over at the waist immediately, and held her assignment out to him. "Please, take this!"

**8:29:59..**

**8:30:00**

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:30

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.30 and 8.31 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:30:00**

"R-Ranka-chan!" Ogata blurted, shocked into immobility. Ranka didn't move from where she stood, in her yellow sleeveless dress, soft leather boots and scarf wrapped around her neck, holding her assignment out before her from where she had bowed.

Ranka raised her head slightly, looking worried but still not making eye contact with Ogata. "I'm so sorry I was so late! I –"

"Yes, yes, that's all right," Ogata waved off the apology, and Ranka subsided. "It's not that late. Please, here, let me take that."

"Yes, sensei," Ranka said, still subdued as Ogata took her assignment from her.

Behind them, the phone rang again. Ogata glanced at it, aware that it had now been ringing for a minute or two. "Please excuse me a moment. I must take this call."

"Yes," Ranka replied, finally standing upright and smiling with a quick tilt of her head to one side. The smile made Ogata feel tingly and he returned the smile, before turning back to his desk. _It's funny_, Ogata reflected, _that_ _she seems to be taller than me. Must just be how she's portrayed on video._

He picked up his phone. "Ogata-sensei."

* * *

**8:30:23**

"O-Ogata-sensei?" Ranka coughed into the phone. "It's Ranka Lee."

"_What?_" came the surprised voice on the other end of the line.

"It's Ranka Lee," she said again, wondering if Ogata had gone as deaf or whether she was losing her voice.

"Okay..." Ogata's disbelieving voice trailed off.

"I am calling to let you know I am sick today," she continued in as firm a tone as she could manage. "I've asked Alto-kun... Alto Saotome... to bring my assignment in today."

"Okay..." Ogata continued, his voice now sounding suspicious.

"He may be a little late because of this."

"Okay." Ogata's voice was now firmer than it had been. "Thank you for telling me this. I'll make sure to take note of it."

"Thank you, sensei." Ranka bowed her head as she squeezed her phone connection shut. "Ai-kun, Ai-kun, let's sleep now." The little green creature cuddled up alongside her stomach, cooing. Ai-kun..."

Ranka drifted back off to sleep, happy now her duty to save Alto's school career if he was late because of her was now complete. The way she felt with her illness, she could now die happy. If only she didn't feel so sick to her stomach, at least.

* * *

**8:30:51**

Ogata hung up his phone's handset, and turned back to the 'Ranka' standing before him. Her expression hadn't changed. And, maybe aside from 'her' height, and possibly, just _possibly_, the line of her jaw, the 'girl' standing before him looked surprisingly like Ranka Lee.

If this was Alto Saotome, then why had Alto given up acting and tried to become a pilot? There was no way, no way at all, that an actor this good should be wasting playing with a joystick in a cockpit. An actor this good should be out making the stars his own.

'Ranka' waited patiently, eyes open wide, smile warm. "Ogata-sensei? Is everything all right?"

_My god, he even sounds like her,_ Ogata thought.

"Have you reconsidered acting, Ranka?" Ogata blurted out.

"Ehh?" 'Ranka' placed a finger to her cheek as she considered. "I was in a movie not long ago," she finally said.

"Because, I want you to reconsider," Ogata said, firmly putting a hand down on each of 'Ranka's' shoulders.

**8:30:59..**

**8:31:00**

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:31

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.31 and 8.32 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:31:00**

"S-sensei?" 'Ranka 'asked nervously, looking up into Ogata's face. He was still extremely serious in his expression, almost as if he were struggling between his authority as a teacher and mad, joyous rapture of a fan at a concert.

_Maybe Ogata really liked Ranka? _Alto wondered. It could explain it. Still, he hadn't had the usual prep time for these sorts of costume changes he normally did, and Alto was more interested in extracting himself from this event now before anything slipped out or off or popped into view and caused Ogata to think this wasn't really Ranka Lee before him. He hadn't been able to do anything about his height, but otherwise Alto was pretty sure he was a dead ringer for Ranka.

"Think about it. Acting. On the stage, where you belong with skills like this." Ogata's voice was growing with excitement.

"I'm already on the stage," 'Ranka' said, pulling back slightly.

"I mean, serious acting. Not the strutting parade and base choreography of an idol, but the fully-released life of a professional actor."

"I did that movie recently," 'Ranka' reminded Ogata, but the drama teacher shook it off.

"The movie was cheese, all gung-ho action and weak romance mixed with beautiful songs from Sheryl Nome..."

'Ranka' blinked. "But I can sing just as good as Sheryl-san! Although," she blushed, "not _quite _as good..." She looked a little downcast, before stepping back out of Ogata's reaches and bowing. "Thank you for accepting my work."

"Ranka-chan. Before you go, did you pass Saotome on your way here?"

'Ranka' thought hard, placing a finger on her cheek again as she did so. "Umm... yes, sensei," she responded finally.

"Do you know if he's intending on handing in his written assignment today?" Ogata glanced at 'Ranka's' assignment and saw her name had been added over a scribbled out name. He didn't care to think what had happened to Ranka's real assessment piece.

"You wouldn't believe what happened to him today, sensei," 'Ranka' finally responded.

"No," Ogata replied, "I probably wouldn't. But try me."

**8:31:59..**

**8:32:00**

To be continued...


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:32

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.32 and 8.33 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:32:00**

"Where do I begin?" 'Ranka' asked.

"At the beginning," Ogata suggested.

* * *

**8:32:04**

Michael found Sheryl standing just outside Ogata's office. She was pressed up against the wall next to the open door, and as Michael leaned a little to see inside, he could see what appeared to be an overly tall Ranka inside, back to the door, hands somewhere in front of her while she was starting to speak.

"What's going on?" he asked Sheryl quietly, who flashed him a big smile and put her finger to her lips.

"Well," 'Ranka' said from the room, "he's been chased by men with guns and a Zentraedi, and he's also been dropped from a high height and nearly shot."

Sheryl blocked a snigger with a hand over her mouth, but her shoulders shook. _This is so beautiful_, she mouthed to Michael.

Michael flashed her a return smile that agreed.

* * *

**8:32:18**

"That sounds... exciting, Miss Lee, but it sounds a little unrealistic. No one could go through that in only one morning."

'Ranka' deflated a little. "But it's true! And his bag was stolen."

"Isn't that his bag you're carrying?"

"Yes, but I found it for him."

"Right,"Ogata said in a disbelieving tone of voice.

"It's all true!"

"Do you have Saotome's assessment?"

"Y-yes, sensei," 'Ranka' said in a small voice, digging into the satchel. She quickly found the two pages of Ranka's original assignment, smudged now, torn, crumpled and with a Zentraedi-sized fingerprint across one page to boot. "Oh! How silly. Alto-kun hasn't written his name on this yet..." She quickly scribbled out Ranka's name and inserted 'Alto Saotome' along the top before handing it to Ogata.

**8:32:52**

"Thank you, Mister Saotome," Ogata said as he accepted the papers. He gave them a quick once over while 'Ranka' did a double take.

"You knew? But how?!"

"Because Ranka called in sick. While you were here."

**8:32:59..**

**8:33:00**

To be concluded...


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer**None of these characters are mine, they're still owned by their originating companies, and no legal infringement is intended. If you need to contact me, please use my standard email address as per my profile.

Macross Frontier

8:33

By

Raymond Cooper

_The following takes place between 8.33 and 8.34 on the final morning to hand in the final Drama assessment._

**8:33:00**

"Oh," said Alto, clearly disappointed. Ranka had called. Why couldn't she have waited until he was out of the office, having delivered her assignment, before calling? This was his ultimate acting move, something designed to ace the practical assessment.

While acting was something Alto didn't really want to go back to, this drama course had been one of his pre-requisites for being accepted into the pilot school, and like any other subject of his, Alto wanted to pass it. For that, it meant that he had to treat this as seriously as he would any other subject and that would mean he had to _be_ Ranka. But it was over now.

"But this was your practical assessment piece?" Ogata asked.

"Yes," Alto replied, still using Ranka's voice. Ogata found it a little disconcerting.

"Is this your work?" Ogata gestured towards Ranka's assignment, that Alto had handed in as his.

"No. That's Ranka's. Mine was the first one I handed to you. Ranka's... there were problems getting it here on time."

"Like what?"

"Like a Zentraedi and a man with a gun amongst other things."

**8:33:16**

"Truthfully?"

"Yes."

* * *

**8:33:18**

Sheryl blinked from outside. This wasn't going quite how she thought it would. She had expected more pizzazz, more action, more drama, more humanity and something else she could use to tease Alto about.

It was very rare that she had friends who didn't view her as Sheryl Nome, Galactic Fairy, and Alto was one of the very few people who saw her as Sheryl Nome, teenage woman. Ranka, to an extent, was the same way now, but had started off a little star-struck around her idol, and was competing for the same audiences, whereas Alto wasn't.

No, this really wouldn't do. She had to do something. She sucked in a deep breath, and Michael glanced at her, alarmed –

* * *

**8:33:22**

"So all I can say, Mister Saotome, is that you have passed yor practical with flying colours," Ogata finished, and glanced over at the door when he saw movement.

It was Sheryl, looking embarrassed with tears in the corners of her eyes. "Ogata-sensei, you –" She saw Alto standing in front of Ogata, and her eyes widened in shock. "Alto-kun!"

"Sheryl-" Ogata begun, before Sheryl cut him off again, crossing her arms across her chest and clutching at her shoulders.

"Alto! How could you?"

"Ehh?"

"What happened, Sheryl?"

"I thought you were Ranka, in the women's changing room. You were there while I was getting changed!"

"WHAT?"

"Mister Saotome, is this true?"

"No, I –"

"I'm very disappointed in you."

"No, I didn't – I -"

"It was horrible," sobbed Sheryl. "He saw –"

Ogata's hand came down on Alto's shoulder heavily, gripping hard. "Come. I think it's detention for you."

"But I'll miss class –" was the first thing that sprang to Alto's lips, before he was dragged bodily from the staffroom.

As he passed Sheryl, her horrified look disappeared, replaced by a knowing smirk, and she gave him a wave as Ogata dragged him off towards the main office.

Michael stepped out from the doorway, watching after Alto before glancing at Sheryl. "You're so cold."

"He's just Alto," Sheryl said, with a wicked grin. "And that was fun."

* * *

**8:33:59..**

Grace O'Connor smiled as she replayed the feed from a device buried in Sheryl's hair. An interesting diversion, but more to the point, it would ultimately lead to their victory. She had need of Sheryl, but Ranka Lee was growing to prove she may have something that Grace and the Galaxy fleet were looking for. Of course, she knew all about Ranka's history, seeing as she had worked with her mother on the 117th Large Scale Research Fleet, but thus far, aside from an urge to sing the song that had caused the destruction of their research base, Ranka seemed to be of little use at the present time.

Still, the time was coming that Ranka would have a far larger role to play. Already, she was stretching her wings, spreading her heart and soul and able to reach out to the Vajra. It would take time, and some careful grooming, but Ranka could be what Grace wanted.

But that was some time away yet.

Now, there were more immediate concerns. She toggled a communications channel.

"Brera."

"Yes."

"It is almost time. We'll be leaving for Gallia-4 soon. Be ready. The time to move forward is almost here, and you won't need to hide any further."

"Understood." He signed off, disappearing from Grace's virtual world to who knew where.

Grace smiled. Alto, the hero, in detention. Sheryl, on top and unsuspecting. Michael, clueless, along with Ranka's other friends.

And Ranka? Under her blankets, Ranka hummed the tune of the song she called Aimo.

_Soon,_ Grace thought with a smirk in the space between seconds, _soon._

**8:34:00.**

MACROSS CANON: Finished! Hope you all enjoyed this diversion as much as I loved writing it.


End file.
